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03 February 2015

On This Day: Lincoln refuses elephants

Did you know the
King of Sam offered war elephants to help fight the Civil War? Elephants! Can
you just imagine for a moment Sherman’s
march on elephants? The letter, according
to the National Archives, is dated 14 February 1861 and in it King Mongkut offers
then President Buchanan a gift of elephants. The King thought the elephaints
might fair well in the woodlands. President Buchanan was out of office before
the letter arrived and it was President Lincoln who responded. It was On This
Day, almost a year later, that President Lincoln refused the generous offer, according
to CivilWar.org. Siam,
by the way, is current day Thailand.

Photos: Dreamstime

On
This Day is a prompt I started this month to further explore historical events.